Pittsburgh-area boxers back in action Saturday at Washington County fairgrounds

Pittsburgh-area fighters will be back in the ring Saturday for a full night of boxing at “Battle at the Fairgrounds II” in Washington County.

“We’re excited to return to the Washington County Fairgrounds for the third time,” said Monroeville promoter Derek Gionta. “We have a nice trio of professional fights headlining the show, with Matt Conway looking to bounce back from his previous loss and regain some momentum.”

Conway (20-3, 9 KOs) will be looking to bounce back from a 10th-round TKO loss earlier this year to Philadelphia fighter Avery Sparrow. He will take on Eduardo Pereira Dos Reis (24-8, 19 KOs) of Houston, in a six-round main-event lightweight fight.

“I’m beyond excited and ready to be back in the ring and in front of a crowd,” Conway said. “I’ve gotten stronger, a little wiser, and I’m taking everything I learned in my last fight and putting it into this one.”

“Avery’s a really good fighter, and Matt stayed on his feet the entire fight,” Gionta said. “He’s gonna carry that same mentality in this next fight. He’s blue-collar.”

Gionta highlighted the third scheduled pro fight between Willie Shaw (13-3, 9 KO) of Oakland, Calif., and Philadelphia’s Tyrone Crawley (7-1).

Both fighters are from out of the area, so it’s for the hardcore boxing fan or the casual fan interested in learning about more pros.

“It’s a good matchup, and it will allow the fans to see neutral fighters go out here in Pittsburgh,” said Gionta. “Those have turned out to be some of our best matchups since I started (promoting).”

Co-headlining the evening is a match between two local female fighters: 2018 Golden Gloves champion Mary Casamassa (1-0), 22, of Franklin Park, and LeeAnn O’Malley-Still (1-2), 41, a Pittsburgh native now living in Las Vegas.

“I’m anxious to improve and gain more experience,” Casamassa said. “The weight cut was difficult at times, especially living with diabetes, but that makes it all the more satisfying when I make it.”

Casamassa hopes to show younger fans, especially the girls in attendance, that they can also be a fighter.

“It’s one of the reasons why I love my gym is we have so many kids there and honestly motivates me more,” said Casamassa. “I take it as an honor to show kids that side of boxing.”

O’Malley-Still said boxing has become an integral part of her life since moving to Las Vegas.

“I’m grateful to come back home and compete in a sport that I knew nothing about when I lived in Pittsburgh,” she said.

The amateur fights feature talent competing in the National Golden Gloves tournament in Ellwood City’s Devon Siegfried and Stanley Davis of Akron.

“At 185 (pounds), it’s a little harder to find opponents, especially at the open level,” said Gionta. “They decided to fight, neither hesitated, and they know they’ll come out of it better.”

Another amateur bout is a women’s match between Pittsburgh’s Ashley Harner and Lauren Michaels of Altoona. Harner fought Donya Shodja at Integrity Fighter Promotion’s Spring Slugfest V in March.

Gionta has been regularly promoting boxing nights in a three-county rotation that includes events at the fairgrounds, the Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Cheswick and the Murrysville SportZone.

The evening will also include amateur bouts. Fights kick off at 6 p.m. Saturday at the fairgrounds, 2151 North Main Street in Washington.

Tickets are $40 and are available by calling 412-759-0407.

Freelance writer Tyler Polk contributed.